


Track of Skin

by Pyukumukus



Series: May the Eagle Soar -- A Yasu Headship Alternative Universe [2]
Category: Umineko no Naku Koro ni | When the Seagulls Cry
Genre: Angst, Body Dysphoria, F/M, Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 16:21:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20138389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyukumukus/pseuds/Pyukumukus
Summary: Two years after her succession, Battler is allowed to gaze upon Yasu's pathetic form.





	Track of Skin

His fingers ghosted over her bare hips, and every hair on her arms stood on end. With a shudder, she turned away from him, but Sayo didn’t ask Battler to stop; she only stared out the window, chewing her lips and watching the roses sway in the rain.

Battler’s finger traced a wide, white scar which curled around her lower stomach. It snaked up to her belly button from the apex of her thigh, that railroad track of tissue which had warped as she grew. He ran his hand over it again, and again, as if trying to memorize the texture of the thick skin which had grown in place. She must have been small when it happened, he thought. Sayo seemed to suggest she had a premature birth, the first stroke of bad luck in her unhappy life.

Rocks ripped through her flesh like a razor would paper. Her lower abdomen was weltted with pock marks, but the scar, the thick one wider than Battler’s index finger, was the most impressive. He would never use  _ ruined _ to describe Sayo's body, but after seeing the extent of the damage done to her, it was difficult to conjure any word besides  _ maimed _ \-- his initial thought when he looked at her for the first time. He struggled not to stare, but she let him look. His curiosity was only natural. After all, the extent of her injury was a sight to behold.

His second thought?  _ Execution _ ; he pushed Natsuhi off of that very same cliff. He imagined the way the seaside wind would whip around him as his aunt struck the rocky shore, brain matter spilling out into the seafoam. She had a price to pay, and Battler would make certain she would never go to her grave without justice served. 

_ Isn’t that something Sayo would say?  _ The family head was consumed by thoughts of violent retribution.

“You hate it,” said Sayo. Her voice was pained. 

Battler’s eyes fixed on her face. His expression was severe and he was pale, so he understood why Sayo flinched away from his sharp gaze. His hand closed around the flat of her stomach, and he pressed it there, gently. Battler’s hands passed over her abdomen again and finally came to settle on her groin. 

“It’s fine,” Battler said.

Sayo threw her head back and gave him a morose grin. “You truly have a twisted taste, then,” she said. “Do you feel charitable when you praise furniture?”

He frowned, brows creasing together. “That’s not it at all.”

More bitterly, she went on, “So, you prefer geldings…?”

“Don't refer to yourself like that.” He spoke immediately and forcively. When Battler noticed his tone, he corrected himself. As an apology, he spoke again, this time softly. “Please believe me. Sayo, I love your body.”

_ This boyish flat chest… These narrow hips… This body of mine, sewn and stapled together before I was a year old. I hate it. _

_ People can see right through me, you know. If I can't see myself as a woman, no one else will. _

Her scowl was vicious, and the intensity of her glare made Battler’s heart thump in his chest. He made a mistake when he let Sayo show him. She had set up a snare; from the moment she undressed, she was ready to catch Battler in a trap. Sayo knew he would take the bait, and Battler was remorseful that he played a part in her hunt for self derision. 

_ I don’t like me, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure no one likes me just so I can be proven right!!! Bahahaha!!! --  _ Battler imagined she would say something like that.

“I’ve told you, it doesn’t matter,” he began, delicately. “None of it matters to me.”

There was a heavy pause. The torrential rain wrapped against the windows as the steady downpour drenched Rokkenjima. The storm roared outside, and Battler could hear the low rumble of thunder in the distance.  _ Trapped here for two days _ , he mused,  _ a wonderful setting for a mystery, isn’t it? _

_ You’ll stay with me here, Sayo. You and I, we’ll laugh and talk and swap novels-- just like when we were kids.  _

Battler brought up a hand to cup her cheek. Sayo did nothing. He felt her swallow against his palm and watched as her eyes glazed over with tears. 

“You’re beautiful,” Battler whispered, and he meant it, he really did.

“I can't trust your words, no matter how sweet.” Sayo brushed his face with her fingers. “You are my most precious liar.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second installment in my fic collection which examines the hypothetical result of Sayo becoming the family head. I am working on organizing my fics by writing them in chronological order. You can assume this was written in 1988. If anything lacks clarity, please comment below because I can write future fics which incorporate more straightforward answers to your questions!


End file.
